Spectrum DX8/DX9

[james_2k]

its not really, its how i did it, as long as you are quick on the throttle hold its no problem (most of the time)

skids and one tail boom is all that happened to mine when stock. (replaced tail boom with a solid cf one and no more issues with that) its more delicate now with dfc etc.

[trillian]

There's no substitute for real-life wind. I haven't found a simulator that comes anywhere near correctly emulating the massive lift you get when the wind gets under the rotor disk, and conversely, the way the wind tries to slam the heli into the ground when you make a correction.

Yeah, it's odd that they didn't get that up and down aspect simulated at all in Phoenix. I find that between about 8 and 12 mph with gusts to maybe 16 or 17 gives it that extra bit of randomness and seems more realistic. But anything over 20mph starts to behave strangely and kinda over-cooks it in some ways whilst completely lacking any effect horizontally.

[Peteski]

That's good to know, but very much doubt I would be able to fly it anywhere near as aggressively as I can the quad. At least not indoors anytime soon as a beginner. I'll probably be in a position to compare them directly soon as I'm thinking of adding a Nano CPX to the fleet. I'm expecting I'll be able to hover it and fly slow circuits around the lounge (as I can with the nano QX in agility mode) but not much more. I wish Blade would put their safe tech into the Nano CPX to make it easier to fly fast in a confined space.

[james_2k]

having said all that, i was very close to buying a nqx recently. looks a lot of fun

[AnthD]

If you want something to practice with in the house that isn't going to break, then get a Blade Nano QX quad. I keep saying it on loads of beginner threads, but it is an awesome little indoor trainer and in agility mode responds just like a CP heli. Having loads of fun with mine while learning full CP cyclic control. I've also got a Blade mCX2 which is a 4ch co-axial micro. Very easy to fly and much better than my Syma 107 with its proper swashplate control. It's too stable to teach full cyclic control but it's great for practice landings, flying precise circuits in a small space, throttle control, orientation etc. It's actually easier to fly than the Syma as you have full control of lateral movement and the forward/backward flight is much more precise than the tail fan on the Syma. It's a great heli for the kids to play with too.

I have also have a 130X (Red Bull scale version) but haven't dared to fly it yet and there are lots of parts to break! I expect it will be a pain in the arse to keep flying, but I couldn't resist it on sale for £95. I'm not going to touch this until I can fly properly.

Hi Gents !

I've have the Phantom Vision quad but I know I'm not a expert and have a lot to learn but don't see the learning curve flying quads , there just so easy really I've lent mine to my 55 year old mother and even she if flying if ha !
Mo hear what grumpy is saying the Micos do look twitchy as hell!

Anyway ordered a DX8 nearly bottled it and went with a new DX6! And I have a good sim too ordered up I can't recall now , v5 one I can't rember the details but the second hands one where £50 and this was £85 new so not bad .

[Peteski]

Hi Gents !

I've have the Phantom Vision quad but I know I'm not a expert and have a lot to learn but don't see the learning curve flying quads , there just so easy really I've lent mine to my 55 year old mother and even she if flying if ha !

Honestly the nQX is nothing like your Phantom, which pretty much flies itself. Particularly if you put the nQX in agility mode, the learning curve is pretty steep and the cyclic controls respond just like a CP heli. It's as twitchy as hell and can get away from you in an instant. In Safe mode it's much easier to fly but still very responsive. It took me a good week to learn to fly it fast in Safe mode without smacking into walls all the time. It's great fun banking into turns and flying super fast figure 8's even in a small room. In agility mode I can fly slow loops and practice hovering orientations (after the best part of a month flying daily). I find it much harder than flying big CP helis in the sim for example. So the learning curve is most definitely valid.

In contrast my mCX2 is way too easy in regard to learning CP control skills.

[Peteski]

having said all that, i was very close to buying a nqx recently. looks a lot of fun

I'm sure you wouldn't regret it. It's great for playing indoors, especially if you have expensive furniture around. Only downside is that it doesn't have the presence of a heli, but certainly flies nicely and no setup issues to contend with. I must have flown mine 100+ times already and it's like new. Had some big crashes too without the slightest bit of damage. It allows you to push your own limits a lot more than a similar performance heli would.

[AnthD]

Honestly the nQX is nothing like your Phantom, which pretty much flies itself. Particularly if you put the nQX in agility mode, the learning curve is pretty steep and the cyclic controls respond just like a CP heli. It's as twitchy as hell and can get away from you in an instant. In Safe mode it's much easier to fly but still very responsive. It took me a good week to learn to fly it fast in Safe mode without smacking into walls all the time. It's great fun banking into turns and flying super fast figure 8's even in a small room. In agility mode I can fly slow loops and practice hovering orientations (after the best part of a month flying daily). I find it much harder than flying big CP helis in the sim for example. So the learning curve is most definitely valid.

In contrast my mCX2 is way too easy in regard to learning CP control skills.

Hi Peteski ,

ive just recommended this to a friend and he's ordered one for £60 as he was wanting a micro quad for the same reasons as you say .. Someone bought me a nano quad last year as a present and IT was a lot of fun ! So fast and responsive ! But it's taken some damage over the months !

*could someone just chip in here and tell me the difference in the Trex 500 modelin new and ones from 2012/13 from
the 14/15 models is there a reason I will need the newer Heli ??

AnthD

[Peteski]

Hi Peteski ,

ive just recommended this to a friend and he's ordered one for £60 as he was wanting a micro quad for the same reasons as you say

That's what I paid for mine (BNF). I'm sure your friend will love it.

[Grumpy]

*could someone just chip in here and tell me the difference in the Trex 500 modelin new and ones from 2012/13 from
the 14/15 models is there a reason I will need the newer Heli ??

AnthD

Align is well known for changing their helis regularly, so there have been lots of changes between 2012 and now.

2011/12 - Total revamp from the old 500 ESP to the 500e Pro, too many changes to list.
2012/13 - 500e DFC Pro introduced, this is the flybarless version of the 500e Pro
2013/14 - Minor updates, new dual arm tail slider to reduce 'slop', new canopy colour.
2014/15 - New 500L Dominator introduced, featuring new frame layout but same hardware as previous Pro model.
(dates are approximate)

I guess the big changes are the ESP to Pro change in 11/12 and the move to flybarless shortly after. IMHO you really want flybarless. The Dominator is so new that you are unlikely to see them coming up second hand very often, and according to most reports it flies just like the Pro anyway.

[AnthD]

Thanks for clearing that's up for me Ste , so when I do take the plunge a minimum of DFC spec then ..
DX8 is on its way I was toying with your DX18 but let's just get off the ground first and see how my obsessive side comes though with this hobbie , feeling good on the purchase of the Sim as well think I've done the correct thing , I've I wasnt a member here Id have had a 500 set up from a shop with probably a load of low to mid range electronics in the combo too .

[tomatwalden]

Align is well known for changing their helis regularly, so there have been lots of changes between 2012 and now.

2011/12 - Total revamp from the old 500 ESP to the 500e Pro, too many changes to list.
Somewhere here, there's the 500EFL too, which was flybarless too. The DFC just removed the swash driver ...
2012/13 - 500e DFC Pro introduced, this is the flybarless version of the 500e Pro
2013/14 - Minor updates, new dual arm tail slider to reduce 'slop', new canopy colour.
2014/15 - New 500L Dominator introduced, featuring new frame layout but same hardware as previous Pro model.
(dates are approximate)

I guess the big changes are the ESP to Pro change in 11/12 and the move to flybarless shortly after. IMHO you really want flybarless. The Dominator is so new that you are unlikely to see them coming up second hand very often, and according to most reports it flies just like the Pro anyway.

See above, the EFL flybarless pre-dated the DFC. Now it seems Align are re-introducing EFL versions in place of, or as an option instead of DFC.

[Grumpy]

See above, the EFL flybarless pre-dated the DFC. Now it seems Align are re-introducing EFL versions in place of, or as an option instead of DFC.

Thanks for that.. I forgot about the EFL

[tomatwalden]

Thanks for clearing that's up for me Ste , so when I do take the plunge a minimum of DFC spec then ..
.. .

If you can find an EFL - I'd recommend that. It's pretty much exactly the same as the original DFC except with a normal flybarless head. Otherwise the main body etc. was exactly the same. I sold mine complete for a few hundred quid. Check out BMFA classifieds ...

[AnthD]

I've been browsing a few .. mostly ESP with the 3GX FBL But i hear a lot of negative conversations about this 3GX is everyone in agreement with this ? at my level is it worth me changing out for the BeastX ? servos are slandered DS510's which are good? .. Major school boy alert !!! But 3 servos - Rotor/Tail boom/ and what's the 3rd for .... Motor ?! Sorry ! :-/

A lot of the new EFL in store have sold out , maybe the time of year ..

last question is the 3GX system set up for the swashplate and rudder is this just a generic download and how does the download reach the 3GX , sorry to be a ball ache boys I'm just trying to get my head around a few things .

AnthD